Police discover body in search for 19-year-old who vanished on Christmas Eve
A body has been discovered during the search for a teenager who went missing on Christmas Eve.
Concern grew for Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, after she vanished in San Antonio, Texas last week. Police considered her to be in "imminent danger" and appealed for help from members of the public as they conducted a search.
Now, officers have found a body in a field "very close" to Camila’s home in San Antonio. They are yet to confirm this is Camila’s body but her family has been informed. While foul play is not suspected, police have stated "there are some indicators that the body that we found may be as a result of [self-harm]."
Speaking to reporters today, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said: "From what has been described to us, it sounds like it was a young person going through a very tough time in their life, going through some emotional issues." However, the medical examiner will confirm identification and cause and manner of death in due course.
Earlier this week, police released dashcam footage which they believed showed Camila walking along a path. Sheriff Salazar said the person in the video was wearing clothes that "certainly does match up with what she (Camila) was wearing".
Camila had on a sky blue and black hoodie, pale blue pajama bottoms, and white shoes when she vanished at around 7 am on Christmas Eve. In the days following her disappearance, multiple agencies — including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security — assisted police in Texas.
There was sufficient information to suggest Camila, who had recently experienced a "mutual" breakup, could have been in "imminent danger," police had said. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Sheriff Salazar said: "We definitely don’t want to miss anything. The ground search is somewhat limited to a couple of square miles. We’re also not ruling out that this case may take us outside the borders of the continental United States."
A person believed to be Camila was seen on the family’s security video on the morning of Christmas Eve, apparently searching for something in her car, according to police. Investigators believe she left the home on foot, with only her car keys and possibly her driver’s license, ABC News reported.
Investigators have considered kidnapping and human trafficking as possible factors in her disappearance, as well as the possibility that Camila may have left on her own free will. Camila’s family and loved ones are all cooperating with authorities in this matter, Salazar said.
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